The full Christmas programme at The Bridgewater Hall has been announced, with plenty of festive events on the bill over the coming weeks.
The beautiful concert hall’s line-up includes singalong Christmas carols and live orchestras bringing movie magic to life.
You’ll be able to see soundtracks from blockbuster films and TV shows like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones performed by a full symphony orchestra.
The music of legendary film composers Hans Zimmer and John Williams will then go head-to-head in an epic concert celebrating their scores.
And it’ll be Christmas overload with All I Want for Christmas… Live!, a brand-new show combining festive pop hits with singing, dancing, and even fireworks.
The upcoming concerts at Bridgewater Hall make for a perfect Christmas night out – here are some highlights.
The Music of Lord of the Rings and Beyond
Sunday 10 December
It’s one of the biggest film franchises of all time, with an epic score – and the music of The Lord of the Rings will be performed by a full symphony orchestra at this Bridgewater Hall event.
J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit will also be included, along with fantasy TV show Game of Thrones.
There’ll be a stunning choir on hand too to deliver a concert full of the greatest movie music of all time.
All I Want For Christmas…Live!
Tuesday 19 December
A brand-new show presented by Raymond Gubbay, All I Want For Christmas…Live! will blend festive pop hits and traditional favourites.
There’ll be a dazzling live ensemble including The Manchester Concert Orchestra and four headline singers, plus dancers, fireworks, lights, and incredible live music.
Christmas Carol Singalong
24 December
What better way to welcome Christmas Eve than by singing your way into the big day, with a huge carol singalong?
Jonathan Cohen will lead his audience through the very best seasonal classics in a family-friendly extravaganza.
Expect to be belting out songs including Jingle Bells, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Merry Christmas Everyone, Frosty the Snowman, and carols like Good King Wenceslas, O come, all ye Faithful, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.
The Music of Zimmer Vs Williams
Wednesday 27 December
The worlds of two of the world’s most legendary film composers of all time – Hanz Zimmer and John Williams – will collide this winter at the Bridgewater Hall.
This epic concert will celebrate the movie scores of both men, whose CVs including E.T., Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, Batman Begins, Star Wars, and many more.
Hit theatre production set at a house party to visit Manchester on UK tour
Daisy Jackson
Alright then, 24 hour party people, we’ve found a theatre production you might like the sound of – it’s called The House Party, and it’s set in (you guessed it) a house party.
This smash hit production by pioneering theatre company Headlong is set to land at HOME in March as part of the arts venue’s 2025 theatre season.
It tells the tale of a wild 18th birthday party, where Christine is trying to pick up the pieces of her best friend, a newly-dumped Julie (who happens to be the birthday girl).
Themes of class, power and privilege are all explored with a raw intensity as the cast on stage plough through shots and dive head-first into a night that will change everything they know.
The House Party, which has received glowing reviews from previous showings, is filled with ‘privilege, desire and destruction’.
When it stops off in Manchester, its cast will include Bridgerton’s Sesley Hope as Christine, Synnøve Karlsen (Miss Austen, Last Night in Soho) as Julie, and Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack, Patience) as Jon.
The ensemble of Frantic Assembly performers includes Ines Aresti, Oliver Baines, Cal Connor, Micah Corbin-Powell, Rachael Leonce, Jaheem Pinder and Jamie Randall.
The House Party is written by Laura Lomas and is a reimagining of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie for today’s generation.
It’s directed by Headlong’s artistic director Holly Race Roughan, who directed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s world premiere of David Edgar’s major new political play The New Real.
The House Party. Credit: Ikin YumThe production will be at HOME. Credit: Supplied
Movement direction will come from Frantic Assembly’s Scott Graham.
Prior to the UK tour of The House Party, Headlong celebrated its 50 year anniversary, including the hit production of A Raisin in the Sun which played nationwide.
The House Party will be at HOME in Manchester between 25 and 29 March, 2025 – you can get your tickets HERE.
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff
Daisy Jackson
If you’re not a handy person, when something breaks, the temptation is often to abandon or bin it straight away.
But that’s just not how we’re gonna do it here in Greater Manchester any more, with the return of the annual Repair Week to help you learn valuable repair skills and save money at the same time.
Whether it’s tinkering with your bicycle, fixing up your small tech items, or having your furniture re-varnished and upcycled, there are so many places and people who are on a mission to help you fall back in love with your belongings.
There are even workshops to help you put flat-pack furniture together.
Taking place between 3 and 9 March, Repair Week will be the chance to learn skills, fix your stuff, gain repair confidence and find local fixers.
Events throughout the week (and beyond) will be hosted by community groups, businesses and plenty more.
You can sharpen knives, fix zips, and un-wobble chairs with a little hand from local repair heroes.
JillyGDesign Jewellery in Heaton Moor will fix up your sentimental and special jewellery items, while Rag Revival will help you turn unusable textiles into new creations with basic sewing skills.
There are repair cafes popping up all over Greater Manchester where you can take your belongings.
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff. Credit: Supplied
Repair Week will highlight schemes like the Manchester Library of Things, where you can borrow the tools and equipment you need for those repair jobs at home.
During the week you’ll also be able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the incredible Renew Hub, the UK’s biggest reuse hub, where donated items are brought back to life.
Similarly, you’ll be able to get inside the textile recycling centre run by homelessness charity Emmaus Bolton, where you can choose your own fabric from the scrap store and turn it into a very handy draught excluder to keep costs down and your heat in.
Recycle for Greater Manchester’s Repair Week will take place between 3 and 9 March, with workshops, events and resources to help you revive your belongings.
Daisy Jackson -
20th November 2023 
